THE Manchester relatives of a First World War soldier are being sought by a woman in France who wants to return his silver war medal.

THE Manchester relatives of a First World War soldier are being sought by a woman in France who wants to return his silver war medal.

Paula Kesteloot, formerly Flanagan from Bolton, is married to a Frenchman and is a teacher in Albert, a garrison town on the Somme battlegrounds.

She has become an expert on the war and worked as a translator for the Somme trench museum as well as running battlefield walks.

Her two great-uncles, William and John, lived at the family home in Greengate, central Manchester - the latter died in Belgium, holding the trenches in Nieuwpoort. And among their possessions, recently unearthed by another relative, is the British war medal belonging to Pte William T Wood 27118.

Paula has discovered from her research that he lived in Percy Street, south Manchester and was one of seven children born to Congleton baker James and his wife Ann.

Pte Wood served firstly with the Lancashire Fusiliers and was later a lance corporal with the Border Regiment. He died on May 8, 1917, and is one of the missing soldiers whose name is on the Arras memorial.

"William Wood was clearly a friend to one of my great uncles, most probably through the Manchester connection," explained Paula.

"I would like to give this medal to a member of his family, take them to the Arras Memorial and try to explain what may have happened to him."

Poignantly, her two great-uncles came across each other by chance on the Somme. "But as they were with different regiments, they had to wish one another luck and move on," said Paula. "They never saw each other again."

Paula has been tracing some of the Manchester soldiers who fought on the Somme after rediscovered passages under a church in the nearby village of Bouzincourt revealed graffiti they made while waiting to go into battle

Several were from the Lancashire Fusiliers' Second Salford Pals who whiled away the time by carving their names in the rock walls.

Within hours, many were among thousands killed on the nation's costliest day of a brutal war, many simply listed as "missing in action".

Determined that they should not be forgotten, Paula arranged for her young pupils to each "adopt" one of 20 identified soldiers earlier this year. And during the 90th anniversary celebrations, poppy wreaths were laid in their honour and individual poems read.